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Simon Hughes MP was in Southwark Park on Sunday morning as the official starter of the Girls v Boys 5k run which is expected to raise £10,000 for Breast Cancer Campaign.

England rugby sevens star Chris Cracknell and fitness expert Sarah Maxwell captained teams of girls and boys for the fundraising 5k – and also led a warm-up for the 83 charity runners.

Simon Hughes, MP for Bermondsey and Old Southwark, joined in the warm up and said: “I supported, and people ran Girls vs Boys, to remind others that more than half a million people in this country have breast cancer and 12,000 die from breast cancer every year. However by putting money into research there can be cure.

“We came [to Southwark Park] for a positive reason – to reduce the pain, reduce the anxiety and have a better future.”

The close-run race was ultimately won by the girls team who posted an average race time of 32 minutes and 13 seconds compared to the boys’ 37 minutes and 2 seconds.

Sellar, the developer responsible for the Shard at London Bridge, has unveiled its early proposals for the redevelopment of the Decathlon and What!!! Stores sites at Canada Water.

At a public exhibition at Canada Water Library the company has set out two options for the development of the site: one featuring a single tall tower surrounded by low-rise buildings and another configuration with two shorter towers.

Sellar plans to incorporate up to 1,000 homes into the development which will include a new Decathlon store and other retail units.

The master plan architects are MacCreanor Lavington and David Chipperfield Architects have also been engaged.

A planning application is likely to be submitted to Southwark Council in late October or early November

In light of the feedback that we have received, we believe that no new information has been highlighted that would change the conclusions of our site selection process to date. Chambers Wharf therefore remains our preferred site to drive the main tunnel to Abbey Mills Pumping Station and receive the main tunnel from Kirtling Street; and the long connection tunnel from Greenwich Pumping Station. Additionally, no new information or issues have been identified that would fundamentally change our proposals for this site. Therefore we will continue to develop the proposals for this site that we published at phase two consultation.

The feedback we have received included detailed comments on the construction and operational effects of the proposed development and the measures we propose to reduce and manage those effects. Detailed comments were also made on our proposals for the permanent design and appearance of the site. Having regard to the feedback received we are continuing to refine our detailed proposals for this site to improve the design and reduce the impacts on the local community and environment. Currently we are considering the following changes to the layout and/or appearance of our proposals:

reviewing the raised ventilation structure previously proposed to abut the river wall to minimise the effect on the future new public realm

additional noise attenuation measures during construction

providing a pedestrian crossing near Riverside Primary School

opportunities to make further use of the river to transport shaft, other excavated materials and sand and aggregates for secondary tunnel linings to reduce the number of lorries on local roads

appropriate arrangements for cross borough monitoring of the construction phases where relevant in the Code of construction practice.

Cllr Peter John, leader of Southwark Council, says:

It’s disgraceful that Thames Water are ploughing on with their plans to use Chamber’s Wharf for part of the Super Sewer. The community, the council, the Mayor of London and the local MP are all opposed to the use of this site. It seems Thames Water are only listening to their shareholders.

We have fought this proposal at every opportunity as we can find no possible justification for placing a major building site in the middle of a densely residential area and right next to a primary school. We have consistently argued that the disruption caused by 24 hour HGV traffic and drilling will blight lives for years to come.

It beggars belief that these arguments have fallen on deaf ears. Thames Water don’t even appear to acknowledge the petition presented to them by the pupils of Riverside Primary School. They should have closed this issue for good, but are instead just railroading opposition.

A team of 20 young people and staff from Salmon Youth Centre in Bermondsey are taking on the adventure of a lifetime next weekend to climb the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales – within 24 hours.

Joining staff from Standard Chartered Bank, the gruelling challenge will see the team scale Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England, and Snowdon in Wales to complete the renowned Three Peaks Challenge between Thursday 24 and Friday 25 May.

Despite the obvious challenges, Miranda Haslem, a Youth Worker at Salmon, is looking forward to it. She said: “We’re all very excited about it as none of us here at Salmon have done it before so it will be well out of our comfort zone. We’re lucky to have the experienced guys from Standard Chartered with us to guide the way!”

Also excited is 16 year old Jack Clayton, a young volunteer at Salmon. He said: “I was going to do the London Marathon this year until I found out I was too young for it, so I set myself a challenge to do this instead and raise money for Salmon along the way.

“I’ve been coming to Salmon since I was 14 and being here has really changed me a lot – I’ve developed skills such as timekeeping, team work and leadership which will help me in future for jobs. I’m looking forward to completing the challenge in under 24 hours – with some time to spare!”

Congratulations to the SE16 recipients of Southwark Civic Awards – including Barry Duckett of Rotherhithe Festival fame who received a lifetime achievement award. The same award was given to Peter Parfitt in recognition of his long service as a governor and reading volunteer at Peter Hills School.

At the same ceremony FA Albin & Sons Ltd were presented with a scroll to mark the fact that the company has been granted the freedom of the London Borough of Southwark.

Michael Caine, born at St Olave’s Hospital in SE16, was also present to receive his illuminated scroll.

The owners of Surrey Quays Shopping Centre have announced that work will start on an extension to the building in early 2013 with completion expected in mid-2014.

The centre is jointly owned by British Land and Tesco who plan to add 18 new shops and restaurants to the complex.

Southwark’s planning committee unanimously approved the extension plans in March but councillors turned down an application for a new double-decker car park.

“The approval for the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre extension is important for the wider regeneration of Canada Water and Rotherhithe and demonstrates our commitment to the area,” says David Pollock, retail development manager for British Land.

“The extension and refurbishment will create additional space that will allow us to attract and accommodate new and exciting retailers, ensuring that Surrey Quays remains competitive in today’s market

” The current shopping experience will be significantly improved for both existing and new customers.”

Developer Hollybrook Homes has submitted an application to Southwark Council for the conversion of the old Bermondsey Town Hall in Spa Road.

Conversion of Grade II listed building from B1 offices to provide 41 residential units (Use Class C3). Erection of a roof extension to the existing second floor and internal alterations; incorporating, addition of lightwells along the western boundary and external alterations to the car parking layout, refuse area and cycle parking with associated landscaping.

Transport for London is considering whether it can reopen the public toilets at Canada Water station, says Simon Hughes MP.

The MP says a TfL source told him that the public toilets at the station were closed last year because of ‘safety concerns’.

However, Mr Hughes has discovered that although there was a report of a serious assault, the subsequent police investigation found this report to be false.

“I understand TfL’s reasons for closing the public toilets at Canada Water tube station a year ago,” he said.

“However, I do not think it is acceptable that they did not follow up with the local police to find out whether their safety concerns were legitimate.

“Directing commuters to use either the toilets in the Canada Water library or the toilets at Tesco Surrey Quays is far from ideal.

“I am pleased that TfL is reviewing their decision and as long as there are provisions in place to ensure that the public toilets are safe, I believe many people would be very relieved to see the toilets reopened.”